1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to coaxial cables and, particularly, to a coaxial cable incorporating carbon nanotubes.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Coaxial cables are generally used for transferring electrical power and signals. A typical coaxial cable includes a core, an insulating layer disposed at the outside surface of the core, and a shielding layer disposed at the outside surface of the insulating layer, and a sheathing layer disposed at the outside surface of the shielding layer. The core includes at least one conducting wire. The conducting wire may be a solid wire, a braided-shaped wire, or the like. The shielding layer may, for example, be a wound foil, a woven tape, or a braid. However, since the conducting wire is made of metal, a skin effect will occur in the conducting wire because of eddy currents set up by alternating current. Thus, the effective resistance of the coaxial cable may become larger, thereby causing signal decay during transmission. Moreover, the conducting wire and the shielding layer made of metal have less strength because of its greater size. Therefore, the coaxial cable must have comparatively greater weight and diameter, which results in a difficulty to use.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are novel carbonaceous material and have received a great deal of interest since the early 1990s. Carbon nanotubes have interesting and useful heat conducting, electrical conducting, and mechanical properties. Therefore, conducting wire made of a mixture of carbon nanotubes and metal has been developed. However, the typical carbon nanotubes in the conducting wire are arranged disorderly. Thus, the above-mentioned skin effect still occurs.
What is needed, therefore, is a coaxial cable having good conductivity, high mechanical performance, lightweight and with small diameter to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate at least one embodiment of the present coaxial cable and method for making the same, in at least one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.